News quiz for week ending 10/30/15

Questions

1. A coalition of 24 states last week filed lawsuits to challenge the most significant piece of President Obama’s environmental agenda, his signature climate change rule for power plants, which seek to reduce carbon output from hundreds of power plants across the nation by ______________ by 2030.
a) two percent
b) 32 percent
c) 100 percent
d) none of the above

2. West Virginia’s Attorney General, who is representing the states in their lawsuit, gave all but which one of the following reasons for the states’ opposition to President Obama’s new EPA rule?
a) it will risk electricity reliability
b) it will hurt the coal mining industry
c) it will decrease power rates for consumers
d) it will raise power rates for consumers

3. Russian ships are aggressively operating in an area vital to global communications, raising concerns among _____________ that the Russians could attack those lines.
a) UN peacekeeping forces
b) ESPN and other cable channels
c) US military and intelligence
d) presidential debate moderators

4. A Russian attack on the undersea cables could put a massive dent in the economies of the West. These undersea cables carry _____________________. If they were severed, it could potentially cause stock markets to crash and food deliveries to fail.
a) all Facebook activity
b) about 5% of all global Internet communications
c) Amazon orders worldwide
d) about 95% of all global Internet communications

5. This week, a U.S. guided-missile destroyer sailed close to one of China’s man-made islands in the South China Sea. The U.S. took this action to defend “freedom-of-navigation” that all countries have. Under ___________________, 12-nautical mile limits cannot be set around man-made islands built on previously submerged reefs.
a) the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea
b) Chinese law
c) the U.S. Constitution
d) all of the above

6. In response to the USS destroyer’s patrol, the Chinese did all but:
a) China’s Vice Foreign Minister summoned the U.S. Ambassador, telling him that the patrol was “extremely irresponsible”
b) a Chinese guided-missile destroyer and a naval patrol ship shadowed and gave warnings to the U.S. warship
c) a Chinese aircraft carrier sank the U.S. destroyer with a heat seeking missile
d) accused the US of “illegally” entering waters near islands and reefs in the Spratlys without the Chinese government’s permission

7. On October 20, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a new law banning the manufacture and sale of ___________________, a substance linked to dangerous side effects and in rare cases even death.
a) synthetic cannabinoid products
b) synthetic fabrics
c) synthetic candy products
d) synthetic alcohol

8. Mayo de Blasio signed the bill into law to go after:
a) the people selling it
b) the people buying it
c) those who believe it should be taxed
d) those who don’t believe it should be taxed

9. Walmart has asked the FAA for permission to test drones outdoors for the purpose of all but which one of the following?
a) home delivery in small residential neighborhoods
b) taking stock of trailers and other items in the parking lot of a warehouse
c) picking up customers who don’t drive
d) for its grocery pickup service

10. In addition to Walmart, _____________________ are also testing drones for commercial use.
a) Target and Staples
b) Facebook and Twitter
c) Amazon and Google
d) Snapchat and Instagram